America passed the Heartbeat Bill
- Recently Texas province of America has passed a controversial bill called ‘Heartbeat Bill’. This bill states that if the heartbeat has started in the fetus, then abortion cannot be done. Be aware that the fetal heartbeat is detected approximately 6 weeks after conception.
- Instead, it allows anyone, even someone outside Texas, to sue a doctor or anyone else who may have helped someone get an abortion after the time limit, and seek financial damages of up to $10,000 per defendant.
In which states has this bill been passed?
- Earlier this bill was passed by North Dakotaand, it became the first state in the US to pass the Heartbeat Bill. However, the US Supreme Court has held the law unconstitutional.
- After this, many other states passed the law. This includes Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama, and Kentucky.
- However, the federal courts of the states have temporarily refused the law. These states are in the Bible belt of the United States.
- The southern region of the US is socially conservative in nature. In these states, church attendance is higher than the nation’s average.
- If seen, women may be unaware of their pregnancy for up to 6 weeks, and most abortions occur after six weeks.
- According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, this bill is inconsistent. It is a global legal advocacy organization that aims to advance reproductive rights. This institution works to make reproductive freedom a fundamental human right.
- This bill passed by Texas does not make the state government liable to enforce the ban, unlike the law of other states.
Source – The Hindu
